Preview: Batman Arkham Asylum

Comic book super hero games always bring controversy. If not movie licensed, they’re either made up or adapted from the various comic books. They mostly revolve around giving the player control of a hero, placing bad guys around for the player to beat up, and civilians, for the player to save. Over the years, hope for a solid, good super hero game seemed to be lost, with the last being Spiderman 2 (PS2) and Ultimate Spiderman. However, it’s time to forget about the past, because nothing can prepare you for what Batman: Arkham Asylum has on offer. Name: Batman – Arkham AsylumGenre: Third Person Stealth ActionPlayers: 1Multiplayer: To be confirmedPlatforms: PC, PS3, Xbox360Developers: Rocksteady StudiosPublishers: Eidos InteractiveRelease Date: DELAYED – New release date: Vague, August to late September

Introduction and Story Batman is one of the super heroes that has hardly any video games about him, despite him being so popular and awesome. I won’t go into detail about the horrifying fact that Batman is being neglected, but it seems after the enormous success of the two movies, Batman Begins and The Dark Knight, that he has finally been acknowledged in the gaming industry. However, keep in mind, that this version of Batman isn’t The Dark Knight from the movies, but rather the DC comic iteration.

Batman: Arkham Asylum has its own unique story, although it is loosely based on the long time comic book, Arkham Asylum. The game revolves around the mental institution of Arkham, as you may have guessed by now, where Batman has just brought the apprehended Joker to. Joker seemingly surrendered without much of a fight, which sparks suspicion in Batman. On entering Arkham, Joker springs his trap, freeing himself and taking control of the entire institution. Further more, Joker threatens to detonate random bombs in the city if any “lawmen, vigilantes or do-gooders in tights” are spotted within the Arkham grounds.

So this tasks Batman with entering Arkham Asylum unnoticed and without being discovered in order to stop Joker and his twisted plans. There isn’t much detail on what those plans are, but seeing that it’s the Joker we’re talking about here, they’re bound to be something crazy. It’s a very straight forward story, but one that could prove to be far more intriguing and twisted if Joker does his job right. Aside from our favourite clown, there has been mention of other featured villains, namely Victor Zsasz, Killer Croc, The Riddler, Bane and Harley Quinn. It is also speculated that Mr. Freeze, The Penguin, The Scarecrow, and Poison Ivy might make an appearance.

Gameplay This isn’t your typical super hero game, if anything, it seems to be Eidos’s spiritual successor to their very own Hitman series. The similarities are plenty. Like Hitman it’s a stealth-based game that requires thinking and planning before taking action and, like Hitman again, there are multiple approaches to each situation. Firstly, we know that Batman isn’t super human, so rather than pure brute, beat em’ up tactics, the game requires players to utilise his speed, gadgets and ability to use the shadows in order to keep undetected. Inside Arkham Asylum the player will be vastly outnumbered by psychotic criminals, so stealth and tactics are the key elements to keep in mind when playing this game. To briefly outline what to expect, it’s basically a Batman themed game that takes and combines elements from the Thief and Hitman series’ while also including some aspects of the super hero formula.

Players control Batman from a third person perspective, but we’re still waiting for details on the actual control layout and functionality. Arkham is the focal location of the game, in which players will be able to freely roam and explore as well as have access to Batman’s secret Bat-cave. Emphasising that this is a stealth game, aside from having all of Batman’s combat abilities, players will also have access to all of his equipment and gadgets. From what I’ve seen Batman has a good number of gadgets available for use, which include canisters of explosive gel, the grappling hook, thermal vision and the trademark baterang. As I’ve mentioned before, the ability to plan and move undetected is a vital element in the game, and now that the basic overview of the game has been explained, it’s time to move on and discuss the core of Arkham Asylum, and how all of these elements fit into the actual gameplay.

There’s so much to talk about when it comes to Arkham Asylum’s gameplay and that’s the exciting part. The basics consist of the usual stealth elements, such as the ability to sneak, duck behind cover, lurk in the shadows, hide and more, but let’s not forget that this is a Batman game, so all of his stealth abilities are available for use as well. So aside from the basics, players will be able to do things like scout from the rooftops, traverse silently across open areas with the grappling hook and glide using his cape. It really seems like the game has taken inspiration from the movies, emphasising that Batman uses fear, stealth and technology as his weapons.

The combat is basically broken up into three different parts, namely free-fighting, stealth kills and take downs, all of which make up the “Invisible Predator” gameplay. Free-fighting is as the name implies, where the player will be able to pull off Batman’s combos, which all consist of a combination of grapples, light attacks and heavy attacks. At this point in time I can’t comment on exact details such as movesets, but free-fighting will most likely occur during boss fights, force alert sections (at set parts in the game) and probably by the player’s choice of engagement. Steath kills in this game are one-hit finishers from the shadows and they can be used only in certain situations. Grabbing an enemy with the grappling hook and pulling him over a ledge, dropping down from the roof in a Spiderman-like fashion to silence an enemy and taking out multiple enemies with a baterang are all examples of some of the stealth kills that can be performed. The last component, take downs, form a very large part of the stealth combat or ‘invisble predator’ gameplay. Take downs can be performed in two ways, either silently or aggressively. A silent version involves taking out an enemy from behind with a strangle hold or knocking out a stunned enemy with a ground finisher. The aggressive take downs, on the other hand, involve gliding knock-out kicks and brutal finisher combos. Take downs are vital to gameplay as they render an enemy incapacitated, allowing you to advance further with one less gun to worry about.

Gadgets come into play as the tactical side of the game. They fit into gameplay both for certain boss battles, planning and attack purposes as well as the game’s ‘Investigation’ mode. Regarding the former, players will be able to set traps and cause fear to travel through your enemies. For example, a trap would be using the canister of exploding gel on a wall directly behind an enemy, detonating it to take him out and, as a result, the other enemies will be on the alert, separating them as they search the area. Another example would be using a baterang to stun an enemy, thereafter opening up an opportunity to perform a ground take down. There aren’t many details regarding the various gadgets in the game, so I can’t elaborate much further, but there does seem to be a good variation in them.

Regarding the investigation mode, the developers have said that there will feature forensic puzzles throughout the game, which will be conducted in a “CSI style”, making use of Batman’s advanced technology. An example would be using Batman’s visor’s ‘detective mode’ which, on activation, casts a blue-tint over the screen allowing the player to see enemies through walls, identify their weaponry, highlight points of interest and scan important items into your database. We’re still waiting for more information on the forensic investigations and gadgets, but rest assured that more will be revealed in the near future. As a final note, there is also a type of Challenge Mode to be featured in the game as a bonus single player option.

Graphics and TechnicalAt this point in development, and taking into account that it is a licensed game, Arkham Asylum is actually looking really good graphically speaking. The characters are nicely detailed, especially Batman and the villains. The setting and environments are worth a mention as well, as they provide a good atmosphere and do well to illustrate the feeling of the mental institution. There is one out standing flaw in the visuals however, that being a graphical glitch where Batman’s arms and legs will occasionally move through his cape and, since the camera angle is at a third person perspective, it’s very noticeable. Hopefully, it will be fixed by the time the game is released. On another note, it’s been noticed on a few occasions that Batman’s costume appears teared and tattered, but there are no details out on whether this will affect gameplay, like restricting flight if the cape is damaged. To conclude, Batman: Arkham Asylum is looking pretty decent in comparison to what we would usually expect from licensed super-hero games.Highlights– Finally get to play as Batman on the next-gen consoles. – Explore and infiltrate Arkham Island as well as access the Bat-cave. – Utilise stealth, gadgets and tactics in order to defeat your enemies. – Experience “CSI style” forensic investigations and puzzles that require players to use Batman’s advanced technology. – Face off against the Joker, Bane, The Riddler, Scarecrow and other comic book villains. – Escape from the horrors of Arkham and uncover the mystery of Joker’s true intentions.

Discussion

While the game looks very varied and exciting, there could be a possibility of repetitiveness as a potential flaw.

There is a lot of anticipation and promise riding on this game, as it has the potential not only be amazing, but also set a new standard for licensed games.

The graphics look very good at this point in time, but there are some graphical glitches that need fixing.

Most of the game’s appeal inevitably lays with the Joker’s performance, since the game is based on the conflict between Batman and him, which ultimately means expectations for his role are very high – especially more so after The Dark Knight version of him. No one is expecting that level of greatness, but it’s not far fetched to want the Joker to be one of the best things about the game.

Last WordsBatman: Arkham Asylum is looking very promising and the anticipation for it is high. It has so much potential to be great as well as set a new standard for licensed super hero games. This could possibly turn out to be another of 2009’s must-have games. eGamer is following this one closely, so keep an eye out for any future updates regarding this title before its release in June.